Advent Devotion: Genesis 22:1-19. Many Sons

Wednesday in Advent 1

December 1, 2021

Genesis 22:1-19

Many Sons

Just like Eve, Abraham receives a promise about his offspring.  He had almost offered his offspring up as a burnt offering, but the Lord had provided a ram in Isaac’s place.  Abraham received his son back from the dead, in a way.  And from this one offspring or seed named Isaac the Lord promises to multiply his offspring like “the stars of the heaven and the sand that is on the seashore.”  (Gen. 22:17)  From the son that was given over to death will come countless sons, just as Jesus taught before He died: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  (John 12:24)

“Offspring,” like “seed”, can be singular or plural.  If someone says, “My offspring,” they can mean one particular child, or all their children.  We have this same ambiguity in the promise to Abraham.  His offspring will be as many as the stars in the sky.  But when He says, “Your offspring will possess the gates of his enemies,” and “in your offspring will all the nations of the earth be blessed,” it’s not clear if one particular offspring is meant, or all of Abraham’s descendants.  (Gen 22:17-18)

Isaac was Abraham’s only son.  When he was given over to death at the command of God, the Lord blessed Isaac and promised to multiply him into many sons for Abraham, like the sand of the sea.

When Abraham’s offspring Jesus is given over to be a whole burnt offering at the command of God, the Lord also multiplies Him into many sons of God.  Jesus possess the gates of His enemies; by His death He stormed the castle of the one who holds the power of death, the devil.  He bound him and carried off the weapons and armor in which he trusted.  Jesus has taken away sin by His death, the weapon by which the devil held the human race in bondage.  That weapon is taken out of Satan’s hand.  The devil is disarmed and powerless.  He can no longer claim authority or control anyone who believes in Jesus.

By being offered up as a burnt offering for us, Jesus brought blessing to the whole human race.  In place of God’s anger against us as sinners has come His constant favor and blessing.  He regards us as righteous, who believe that Jesus has satisfied the requirements of the Law for us. 

Out of this one Offspring of Abraham, given over to death, the Lord raises up many sons.  He makes us possess the gates of our enemies in Jesus.  Death and the devil are defeated for us.  Sin lies under our feet.  And blessing comes to the world through us as well, as we proclaim Jesus Christ in our churches, in our homes, in our joys and crosses, and in our deaths.

Abram’s promised great reward,

Zion’s helper, Jacob’s Lord—

            Him of two-fold race behold—

            Truly came, as long foretold.  Amen.  (LSB 352 st. 3)

Devotion: The Promise To Our Fathers. Acts 26

Wednesday after Trinity

June 2, 2021

Acts 26

The Promise to our Fathers

When Paul gives his defense before King Agrippa, he says, “Now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day.”  (Acts 26: 6-7)

What exactly was it that the Israelites were hoping to attain by their service to God?  What had God promised Abraham and the Patriarchs?

He promised to bless them and all the families on earth through them (Gen. 12:2-3).  He promised that they would inherit the promised land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8).  But elsewhere St. Paul says He promised even more: “The promise to Abraham and his offspring [was] that he would be heir of the world.”  (Rom. 4:13)

Of course in his lifetime, Abraham did not inherit the land of his wanderings, much less the promised land.  He bought a cave in which to bury his wife.  That was all he owned in the land of Canaan.  He would not own the promised land or inherit the world until the resurrection of the dead, when God gives the new heavens and earth to the righteous, and weeds out of His Kingdom the wicked (Matthew 13:41-43). 

That was the promise the Israelites were hoping to attain.  Paul says, “I am on trial because I have the same hope as all the Israelites, and I am preaching that this hope and promise has been fulfilled.  God has raised the dead.  The resurrection has begun.” I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”  (Acts 26:22-23)  “Jesus is proclaiming light and resurrection from God’s right hand through me.  That is why He appeared to me on the road to Damascus—so that Jews and Gentiles may attain to the promise of Abraham by faith in Him.”

When God called Abraham, He told him, “In your offspring all nations will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).  Paul explains in Galatians 3 that this blessing comes to us through Jesus’ crucifixion.  There He became a curse for us, bearing the curse God’s Law declares on all who do not continue doing everything in it in thought, word, and deed (Gal. 3:13-14).

When someone receives this blessing, believing that it has come to us through Jesus’ crucifixion, he receives, the promised Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:14).  Elsewhere St. Paul calls the Spirit the guarantee of our inheritance (Eph. 1:14).  The Holy Spirit is the guarantee or pledge from God that we will rise from the dead and inherit the earth with Abraham and all the righteous.  We will live in the new heavens and earth and see the glory of God.

This hope animated Paul.  It made him fearless in the face of persecution.  Because he knew his preaching was Jesus’ preaching and that it came with the Holy Spirit, he had hope that it would even convert Herod Agrippa, whose relatives had tried to kill Jesus as a baby and then mocked him before He was crucified.

We have been given the same hope as Paul.  The resurrection of the righteous promised to Abraham has begun in Christ Jesus.  The blessing of Abraham, the forgiveness of sins, has come to us through Jesus’ crucifixion.  God has laid the curse of all your sins on Jesus.  Believing this, you have received the Holy Spirit, who guarantees your place in the new heavens and earth at the resurrection. 

Jesus lives!  I know full well

Nothing me from Him shall sever.

Neither death nor pow’rs of hell

Part me now from Christ forever.

God will be my sure defense;

This shall be my confidence.  Amen.  (LSB 490 st. 4)

The Blessing of Abraham. Advent 2 Midweek.

Jesu juva

Advent 2 Wednesday Matins/Vespers

St. Peter Lutheran Church

Genesis 12:1-3, Galatians 3

December 12, 2012

“The Blessing of Abraham and his Seed”—taken from Stoeckhardt

(preached at matins)

 

In the name of Jesus.

 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

God set the promise of the seed of the woman, the trampler of the serpent, before the eyes of Adam and Eve immediately after the fall into sin.  But not all human beings received the promise.  Cain and his offspring despised the promise, despised Christ.  They multiplied violence on the earth.

 

Also Seth’s seed rejected the promise and intermarried with the enemies of God.  So God destroyed the earth with the flood.  It was not because of their sins, but because of their unbelief—that they refused to believe the promise of the seed of the woman, Christ.  But God preserved believing Noah in the ark.  And Noah carried the promise with him into the new world—because it was true of him as well as those who died in the flood: “every thought of man’s heart is evil continually from his youth.” 

 

Noah further clarified the promise, enlightened by the Holy Spirit.  He praised “the God of Shem.”  He indicated that the seed of the woman would be born from Seth’s offspring, and that this seed would be God and man.

 

Finally, God called Abraham and gave the promise we read. 

 

The promise and blessing of Abraham is of great importance to Christians.  You cannot read the passages of the new testament that talk about our salvation, about how we are justified before God, without mention being made of Abraham.  So we need to know the promise to Abraham and His seed.

 

The blessing of Abraham and His seed:

1. 1.       What is the blessing?
2. 2.      Who is Abraham’s seed or offspring?